Putting Up A Bug-Barrier Around Your Garden

Only the most seasoned gardeners in the world acknowledge the benefit of having certain creepy crawlies in their garden, and even they don’t like having all of them invade their sacred green space. Even as summer comes to an end, and the family stops spending so much time in their great outdoors, that doesn’t mean insects should get free reign over your garden and destroy all the work you’ve put into making it presentable. If you want to continue the fight against the insect invasion, then here are a few tips to help you raise a bug-barrier around your garden.

If you were unfortunate enough to be attracting mosquitos and other flying pests all summer, you’ve probably seen the benefit of insect repellents. Installing mosquito misting systems around the parameters of your home could go a long way towards keeping your garden insect free. However, if you’ve had enough of the smell of bug spray, then there are some natural repellents you could consider. Planting lavender, basil, mint, or lemongrass in your flowerbeds could contribute to the fight against mosquitos, while leaving your garden with either a fresh smell, or plenty of herbs to use in your cooking. That said, there isn’t enough evidence to support that these plants significantly reduce the presence of flying insects in your garden, so it might be best to combine the two methods.

Obstacles

Enthusiastic gardeners all dread the presence of a certain visitor in their prized flowerbeds; slugs and snails. It’s difficult to detect a slug or snail population around the house because they only come out at night, and they eat the outer edges of the plants. Fortunately, there are easy solutions for deterring their efforts. Empty bags of gravel around your flowerbeds to make it more difficult for the mollusks to gain access to your plants, because they can’t travel on abrasive surfaces. Slugs like dark and moist locations, so clearing out debris, accumulated leaves and rotting wood will make your garden less appealing for them. Finally, a barrier of salt will prevent them from getting into your house when they look for warmth during winter.

Slugs, snails, mosquitoes, and aphids are definitely not welcome in your garden because of the damage they cause to your garden and your own body. But be careful when using insecticides because you might be driving away their natural predators. Building a pond in your garden can attract insect-munching frogs and toads, spiders catch aphids in their webs, and ladybugs, horse flies, and bees all appreciate an easy meal. Finally, birds also eat insects, so invite them into your garden by putting up a birdbath, or a bird feeder. Do some research into beneficial insects, so you know which ones to avoid killing when you wage war on the bug population. Remember, all you have to do for your insect allies is let them feast on nasty intruders – spiders might be useful, but that doesn’t mean you want them in your house any time soon.